Arsenal transfer target Arda Turan is 'happy at Barcelona', claims agent
Earlier reports suggested that Arsenal had approached Barcelona hoping to sign the Turkish international, but the player's agent claims he has little interest in leaving the Nou Camp
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Your support makes all the difference.The agent of Barcelona midfielder Arda Turan has flatly denied Arsenal have made an enquiry into the player’s services, contradicting earlier reports.
Turan, 30, moved to Barcelona from Atlético Madrid at the beginning of last season, for around £30m.
But the Turkish international has failed to establish himself as a first-team regular at the Nou Camp, leading to reports in the Spanish press that he may seek to engineer a move away from the club in the summer.
And on Thursday, The Times reported that Arsenal were considering a £25m bid for the player, as they make preparations for life without Mesut Özil and Alexis Sanchez, who have both stalled on extending their current contracts.
But Turan’s agent, Ahmet Bulut, has spoken to the press to deny any interest from Arsenal and put it on the record that his client is happy at Barcelona.
“There is currently no offer, there is nothing to speak of right now,” Bulut confirmed to ESPN.
“I have not been contacted by Arsenal. As I said before, he is happy at Barcelona and has three years left on his contract.”
Turan was a regular at Atlético during his four years at the Vicente Calderón Stadium, helping the club win La Liga, the Europa League and reach the final of the Champions League.
However he has had to grow used to a less influential role in Barcelona’s midfield, where he has often been rotated with club captain Andrés Iniesta.
He has also struggled to fit into Luis Enrique’s newly adopted 3-4-3 formation, with Ivan Rakitić instead deployed in the central attacking midfield role, with the front three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar all undroppable.
Barcelona have previously rejected two offers from Chinese Super League teams for Turan, but it remains to be seen whether the player will have a future at the club when a successor to the outgoing Luis Enrique is eventually found.
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